I discovered by experimenting with my own wrist-ganglion that ganglions are caused and aggravated by extreme dorsiflexion of the wrist, and that if dorsiflexion is limited without immobilizing the wrist, the ganglions will regress and disappear in a few weeks. My discovery indicates that immobilization of the joint with a cast or full arm-and-hand splint is adverse to regression of ganglions. As long as dorsiflexion is limited, other wrist movements such as volarflexion, lateral flexing, and rotation seem to help ganglions regress, by massaging them and putting them under momentary repetitive pressure. These motions tend to literally pump out the the fluid, break up the capsules, and cause them to be worn away and resorbed. Daily soaking in hot water with the wrist volarflexed is believed to speed up the resorptive action by increasing the phagocytic activity.
I invented the splint, made a series of gradually improved test samples, and wore the two-bracelet basic model about a month to obtain a permanent cure of my own ganglion.
It has previously been known in the medical arts that the fluid-filled sacs called ganglions often appear from previously unknown causes and sometimes fade away likewise. Also that they appear as immediate results of injuries such as falls on the palm of the hand, or unusually heavy strains on the wrist. Some of these injury cases have been successfully treated by conventional immobilizing casts or splints like the Futura glove-splint, but apparently there has been no previous understanding of the special aggravating effects of dorsiflexion, or the benefits obtainable by avoiding dorsiflexion without immobilization. The usual treatment for chronic ganglion in the past has been by surgical excision, resulting in unsightly scars, cratering, and a high rate of recurrence, as well as great expense from hospitalization, often at federal expense. Conservative permanent cure by this new splinting treatment is therefore an improvement much needed by both the public and the government.
My discovery indicates that ganglion formation is a protective bursa-like response to trauma resulting from extreme dorsiflexure, such as leaning heavily on the palm of the hand. When the joints are thus flexed beyond their normal angular range, the joint margins over-run one another and are traumatized, causing hypertrophy of normal structures, fluid accumulation, and ganglion formation. Apparently man shares a weakness or limitation in this regard with the other higher primates, the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan, which walk and rest on their knuckles with the wrist held straight. They ordinarily do not let the heel of the hand rest on the ground like a baboon. To cure ganglions spontaneously and avoid recurrence, the human being must be taught what the apes already know: Not to lean on the retracted palm. Together with suitable explanation, my splint trains these automatic protective reflexes into the patients' mind, so for this reason I call it a training splint.
Wrists are abused in dorsiflexion in many ways, viz: Leaning heavily on the palm while brushing teeth, washing out a bathtub or vat, sawing boards, doing pushups, in bed, bracing while sitting on a bench, or in a car, etc. Not everyone lets the wrist go all the way back when doing such things, but some do, and thus ganglions are triggered. Once this happens, extreme dorsiflexion must be avoided to cause regression to occur, and the bad habit must be broken, otherwise the ganglion may recur.